Drill steel retainer



April 12, 1938.- 9 J. c. CURTIS DRILL STEEL RETAINER Filed March 15, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JOHN c.- 60277.5

INVENTOR ATTORNEY April 12, 1938. CUR-n3 2,114,047

DRILL STEEL RETAINER Filed March 13, 1936 2 Sheets Sheet 2 JOHN C. CURTIS INVENTOR BY I ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 12, 1938 DRILL STEEL RETAINER John 0. Curtis, Garfield Heights, Ohio, assignor to The Cleveland Rock Drill Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March 13,

11 Claims.

This invention relates broadly to rock drills of the percussive type, but moreparticularly to improvements in drill steel retainer therefor.

One object of this invention is to produce a releasable drill steel retainer of simple construction which is strong, durable and efficient.

Another object of this invention is to produce a tool retainer with resilient means acting on the retainer for looking it in operative or inoperative position, and simultaneously absorbing the shocks or blows of the drill steel against the retainer.

Other objects of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description wherein similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of the front portion of a rock drill illustrating the improved retainer in operative position.

20 Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating the retainer in inoperative position.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view'taken in a plane indicated by line 33 in Fig. l and looking in the direction of the arrows shown therein.

Figs. 4 and 5 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 2 respectively, illustrating a modification of the invention.

. Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 3, but taken in a plane indicated by line 6-6 in Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, It! represents the frontend housing of a rock drill having the shank II. of a drill steel I2 slidable therein. This drill steel has a collar I3 formed integral thereon, and engageable with the front end of the housing ID to limit the penetration of the shank II within the former. The front end of the housing II is substantiaily cylindrical except for a boss or enlargement I4 formed on one side thereof. This boss has an opening I5 of oblong shape formed therethrough and adapted to accommodate within the bottom part thereof a substantially cylindrical rubber buffer I6, which iscentrally apertured as at I6 to permit its compression.

In order to prevent the accidental'removal of the drill steel I2 from the fronthousing, there is a yoke Il partly encircling the drill steel ahead of its collar I3, and capable of engagement with the latter. This yoke has two parallel arms I8 extending upwardly therefrom to the boss I4 of the housing I6. The free end of the arms I8 are enlarged on one side as at I6, and transversally apertured to receive a shaft or bolt 20 which extends through the apertured boss I4. The end portions of this shaft engages the side arms of the yoke II to serve as a pivot for the latter. One

1936, Serial No. 68.744

(CI. 121-e2) end of the shaft or bolt 20 is formed with a head 2! shaped for interlocking engagement with a shoulder 22 provided on the adjacent arm of the yoke, thus preventing the rotation of the bolt 20 relative to the yoke II. The otherend of the bolt 20 is formed with a reduced screw threaded portion adapted to receive a nut 23 engageable with the adjacent arm I8 of the yoke II, which arm may thereby be clamped between the nut 23 and an annular shoulder 24 formed on the shaft 20 at the end of its reduced portion.

Interposed between the shaft 20 and the rubber buffer I6, there is slidable in the oblong opening I5, but locked therein against rotation, a substantially rectangular member or block 25. This block has its end portions protruding from the side walls of the boss I4 to form movable lugs 26 having the upperwall 21 thereof machined perfectly flat, and forming at the inner end of each lug a shoulder 28 engageable with the side arms I8 to prevent the accidental removal in a lengthwise direction of the block 25. from the aperture I5. The under side of the block 25 is recessed to form an arcuated seat 29 for the rubber buffer I6, and two sidewallsor shoulders 34 engaging the end walls of the buffer I6 for preventing the lengthwise movement of the buffer.

The free end of the arms I8 are provided with two diverging inclined surfaces 30 and 3| engageable with the upper wall 21 of the lugs 26, and causing thereby the compression of the rubber buffer I6.

In the modification shown in Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive, the shaft 26] has beenmade an integral part 32 of the arms I8. To permit the assembly of this modified construction, the side wall of the front housing boss I has beencut open as at 33, thus allowing the integral shaft portion 32 of the retainer, to be introduced in the. oblong aperture I5, after the insertion of the rubber bufier I6 and block 25.

After the device has been assembled, it will be noted that the block 25 engaging the rubber buffer I 6 will cause a relatively slight compression of the latter due to the engagement of the inclined surfaces 30 or 3I with the upper wall 21 of the lugs 26. It will also be observed that when the retainer is positioned as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, that is in operative position, the blows transmitted by the collar II of the drill steel I2 to the yoke II, will be 50 absorbed or at least greatly cushioned by the rubber buffer I6.

In addition to the cushioning action of the rubber buffer I 6, the latter causes the forcible engagement of the upper wall 21 of the lugs 26 with either diverging surfaces 30 and 3| of the arms 18, thus maintaining the yoke IT in either operative or inoperative position.

When it is desired to remove the drill steel from the housing Ill, the yoke I! may be rocked from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2. In this instance, the point of convergence of the surfaces 30 and 3| passing over the lugs 26, will cause a greater compression of the rubber buffer I6. When finally the surfaces 3| engage the lugs 26 as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the retainer will again be locked against accidental movement.

By means of this construction, the blows imparted to the yoke I! by the collar of the drill.

steel [1, will tend to drive the retainer away from the housing I0, and thereby increasing the frictional engagement of the surfaces 30 with the lugs 21 to positively prevent the rockingmovement of the retainer into inoperative position.

Although the foregoing description is necessarily of a detailed character, in order to completely set forth the invention, it is to be understood that the specific terminology is not intended to be restrictive or confining and it is to be further understood that various rearrangements of parts and modification of structural detail may be resorted to without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as herein claimed.

I claim:

1. A retainer for a rock drill comprising in combination with a housing and a drill steel, a boss-on one side of said housing having anaperture extending therethrough, a yoke for retaining the drill steel in said housing movable into operative or inoperative position relative to said drill steel, side arms extending upwardly from said yoke, an element extending through said aperture carried by said side arms to serve as a pivot for said yoke, and a resiliently supported member within said aperture having end portions engaging said side arms to carry the yoke in operative or inoperative position relative to the drill steel.

2. A retainer for a rock drill comprising in combination with a housing and a drill steel, a boss on one side of said housing having an aperture extending therethrough, a yoke for retaining the drill steel in said housing movable into operative or inoperative position relative to said drill steel, side arms extending upwardly from said yoke, a shaft like element extending through said aperture and engaging said side arms to serve as a pivot for said yoke, and resiliently supported means within said aperture having end portions protruding therefrom and engaging said side arms for carrying the yoke independently of said shaft like element.

3. A retainer for a rock drill comprising in combination with a housing and a drill steel, a boss on one side of said housing having an aperture extending therethrough, a yoke for retaining the drill steel in said housing movable into operative or inoperative position relative to said drill steel, side arms extending upwardly from said yoke, an element through said aperture engaging said side arms to serve as a pivot for said yoke, a member resiliently supported within said aperture and having end portions protruding therefrom in carrying engagement with said side arms, and means on said end portions and side arms capable of interengagement for locking said yoke in operative position.

4. A retainer for a rock drill comprising in combination with a housing and a drill steel,

a boss on one side of said housing having an aperture extending therethrough, a yoke for retaining the drill steel in said housing movable into operative or inoperative position relative to said drill steel, side arms extending upwardly from said yoke, an element extending through said aperture and engaging said side arms to serve as a pivot for said yoke, a member extending through said aperture and engaging said side arms to carry said yoke and lock the same in position, and a rubber buffer in said aperture acting on said member to cushion the yoke and to press said member into interlocking engagement with said side arms.

5. A retainer for a rock drill comprising in combination with a housing and a drill steel, a

boss on one side of said housing having an aperture extending therethrough, a yoke for retaining the drill steel in said housing movable into operative or inoperative position relative to said drill steel, side arms extending upwardly from said yoke, means within said aperture engaging said side arms to serve as a pivot for the yoke, movable lugs carried by said housing engaging said side arms for suspending said yoke thereon and for locking the same in position, and resilient means within said aperture acting on said lugs to cushion said yoke and press said lugs into interlocking engagement with said side arms.

6. A retainer for a rock drill'comprising in combination with a housing and a drill steel, an enlargement on one side of said housing having an aperture extending therethrough, an element extending through said aperture and having lugs formed thereon, a rubber buifer within said 7" aperture supporting said element, a yoke for re taining the drill steel in said housing, side arms extending upwardly from said yoke and having flat surfaces resting on the lugs of said element, and means within said aperture engaging said side arms above said element for preventing the upward movement of said side arms and thereby causing the forcible interlocking engagement of the lugs of said element with the flat surfaces 'of said side arms by compressing said rubber buffer.

'7. A retainer for a rock drill comp-rising in combination with a housing and a drill steel, an enlargement on one side of said housing having an aperture extending therethrough, an element extending through said aperture and having lugs formed thereon, a rubber buffer within said aperture supporting said element, a yoke for retaining the drill steel in said housing, side arms extending upwardly from said yoke and having flat surfaces resting on the lugs of said element, and means carried by said side arms engaging said housing above, said element to limit the upward movement of said side arms and to compress said rubber buifer for efiecting the forcible interengagement of the fiat surfaces of said side arms with the lugs of said element.

8. A retainer for a rock drill comprising in combination with a housing and a drill steel, an enlargement on one side of said housing having an aperture extending therethrough, a yoke for retaining the drill steel in said housing, side arms extending upwardly from said yoke, a shaft like element extending through said aperture and engaging said side arms to serve as a pivot for said yoke, a substantially rectangular block extending through said aperture having its ends protruding therefrom, diverging flat surfaces on said side arms capable of interlocking engagement with the protruding end of said block for holding said yoke in position, and resilient means within said aperture supporting said block and acting thereon for forcibly effecting the interlocking engagement aforesaid.

9. A retainer for a rock drill comprising in combination with a housing and a drill steel, an enlargement on one side of said housing having an aperture extending'therethrough, a substantially'rectangular block within said aperture having its ends protruding therefrom, a yoke for retaining the drill steel in said housing, side arms extending upwardly from said yoke, a pivotal connection between said side arms and housing, said side arms resting on the protruding ends of said block for supporting said yoke, diverging fiat surfaces on said arms capable of interlocking engagement with the protruding .ends of said block for holding said yoke in position, and a rubber buffer within said aperture supporting said block and acting thereon for forcibly effecting the interlocking engagement aforesaid.

10. A retainer for a rock drill comprising in combination with a housing and a drill steel, a

tending upwardly from said yoke, a pivotal connection between said side arms and housing, a rubber buffer within said aperture, an element extending through said aperture supported by said rubber buffer, said element having end portions in carrying engagement with the side arms of said yoke, means for locking said element against lengthwise movement, and means depending from the end portions of said element engageable with the end walls of said rubber buffer for preventing the lengthwise movement of said buffer.

11. A retainer for a rock drill comprising in combination with a housing and a drill steel, a. transversally disposed aperture on one side of said housing, a yoke for retaining the drill steel in said housing, side arms extending upwardly from said yoke, means carried by said housing engaging said side arms to serve as a pivot for said yoke, an element extending through said aperture in carrying engagement with said side arms, a resilient buffer within said aperture supporting said element, and means on said element engaging said side arms and said buffer for preventing the lengthwise movement of said element and buffer relative to said housing.

JOHN C. CURTIS. 

